Editorial: MSU riots should remain a thing of the past

Every year in March, when the NCAA tournament starts, East Lansing holds its collective breath. Not only in anticipation of big Michigan State basketball games but for fear something stupid could happen in East Lansing.

It’s happened before. Twenty years ago, some 10,000 people rioted in the streets following the basketball team's loss to Duke in the Final Four. It cemented MSU’s reputation as a riot school.

The final tally following the 1999 riot included eight cars destroyed, more than 100 arrested and damage in excess of $500,000. Police were called in from across the state to help, costing their departments time and resources.

But that was then.

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On March 27, 1999 tear gas filled the streets of East Lansing. Michigan State fans started a riot after the Spartans' loss to Duke in the Final four.
Lansing State Journal

As years have passed, new regulations at both city and state levels have combined with better communication within the campus community to help prevent a repeat of the chaos in 1999.

There have been a few minor disturbances since, ones that were dispersed quickly and without greater incident. Rioting now seems to be a thing of the past.

That’s where it must remain.

There will always be college students who do dumb things. They are in the minority – and that minority over recent years has gotten smaller.

Now, there’s also social media and the ability to prosecute any community members being part of a "disorderly assembly" – defined in city ordinance as a group of four or more people engaging in unlawful conduct.

Students know – or should know – rioting can result in expulsion, fines and even jail time. Police are better equipped with the tools they need to address disorderly conduct.

At the same time, they have built connections in the community with various groups to help discourage illegal behaviors.

Burning couches and cars will always be part of the shared history of East Lansing and MSU. But the intensity of the stain is fading.

Let’s make sure rioting remains in the past and keep March Madness on the basketball court.

– an LSJ editorial

LSJ Editorial Board

The LSJ Editorial Board speaks for the LSJ as an institution. Editorials do not carry an individual byline because stances on issues are never decided by one person. Contact the board by emailing opinions@lsj.com.